


Capability

by juniperfuzz



Category: The Last of Us
Genre: david is a horrible person but i'm sure we all knew that already
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-05
Updated: 2019-09-12
Packaged: 2020-06-09 22:28:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19485295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/juniperfuzz/pseuds/juniperfuzz
Summary: Ellie and Joel are held prisoner at David's camp.





	1. His Word

**1**

...

_“I can protect you.”_

Ellie shivered at the words, echoing through her mind like a gunshot. All she could think about was getting away. Getting up on Callus and patting him on the side with her feet until he galloped far, far away from that place. From those strange _people_. 

She was frightened when that man had told her that he knew who she was. That he knew they were the ones who killed all those men - _his_ men, back at the university. She thought he was going to kill her right there. Put one between her eyes, like she’d threatened just a few hours before… but for some reason unbeknownst to her, he let her go. 

If it had been up to Buddy-boy, she’d be dead. And that would mean Joel was dead as well...

_But it’s fine now,_ Ellie tried to reassure herself, tightening her grip on Callus’s reins until her fingers whitened. _Everything’s fine. I got the medicine. We’re good._

She was still on edge even as she reached the clearing where their hideout resided. She hadn’t looked around much throughout her journey home, mostly out of fear that those men were following her. But as she turned around to pull the garage door down, the coast seemed definitively clear.

Joel was still sleeping when she entered the room - well, _sleeping_ was the kindest way of phrasing it. In actuality he was likely unconscious, passing in and out from the intense fever and infection coursing through his weakened body… but the antibiotics would help. She knew about as much about medicine as anyone her age did. So not much. But she was at least competent enough to fill up a syringe and shove it into Joel’s torso, hoping that it would do whatever it was supposed to and fix him up.

Ellie talked to him even though by this point, she was pretty much positive he couldn’t hear her. She liked to think maybe he just couldn’t focus enough to listen, but the very presence of her voice comforted him. Motivated him, even. And it was better than keeping all those stupid thoughts to herself, anyways.

_Alone._ She felt alone, but she wasn’t. 

Joel looked dead, but he was alive.

“You’re gonna make it,” Ellie said out loud, cringing at the lack of confidence within her tone. She wasn’t quite sure how much of that statement was for Joel. Somehow, it felt like the only person she was trying to convince was herself. 

…

“Oh, _fuck_. They tracked me,” Ellie murmured to herself, glancing over at Joel’s still form. He was still deathly pale, his living condition only ascertainable by the muted rise and fall of his chest.

He wouldn’t make it if she took him with her. He had to stay, had to rest, had to let the antibiotics do their job…

“I’m gonna draw them away from here,” she said, swallowing the large lump in her throat as she gazed at the wide open terrority. There were probably dozens of men crawling around, looking for them, looking for _her_ … _It’s okay. You got this. You can do it._ “I’ll come back for you.” 

Minutes later, Ellie was carefully lowering the garage door. She was mumbling to herself as usual whenever her nerves spiked, lowering the heavy steel silently to meet the floor. She let out a small breath of relief, moving to turn around and get up on Callus when she heard them.

“Put your hands up, kid.” The voice was rather familiar, but she couldn’t entirely trace it. 

Ellie cursed underneath her breath, eyes still trained on the garage door. “And if I don’t?”

“Just put your hands up and no one has to get hurt,” it was the same voice as that man’s from yesterday; she could remember it clearly now. “Do it now, kid, or else we’re gonna have to put a bullet in you _and_ whoever’s that house.” 

_If they kill me, they’ll kill Joel, too._ With an aggravated sigh, Ellie raised her arms in the air above her head. “There. Fucking happy now?” 

Her blood boiled. She wanted to fight, but it wasn’t safe with Joel so close… if they were going to kill her, wouldn’t they have done it already? They must want… or _need_ her for something.

“Not quite,” the man, David, said with a chuckle. She could hear his footsteps approaching her. “I’m going to take off your backpack, and check to see if you have any other weapons on you.”

Or maybe they would just loot her and then shoot her. 

Ellie remained silent as he shrugged the backpack off her slim shoulders, hearing the audible thump as it fell to the ground. His large hands trailed down the sides of her body, disappearing once they discovered nothing unusual.

“Put your hands behind your back,” David instructed. “I’m gonna have to restrain you ‘til I can trust you.” 

_Why would you trust me?_ Ellie thought to herself, noticeably hesitating before she obliged. She could feel the rope tugging against her skin, her shoulder blades bent into an uncomfortable position. “Ow,” she complained. 

Maybe this guy could be manipulated. He was rather blithe when giving her those antibiotics yesterday, after all. Maybe if Ellie just played nice for a bit, she could convince him to leave them alone...

David spun her around so she was now facing him, a peculiar smile upon his face. “Sorry, kid, but we can’t be taking any chances with you. Not after that stunt at the university, and not after I saw you handle yourself yesterday.” 

Ellie scrunched up her face. She didn’t like the way this guy talked to her. He was always patronizing in such an annoying way, but constantly took time away to praise her nonetheless.

David raised an eyebrow at Ellie’s lack of response, then shifted his focus to his lackey off a few feet away, the one she called _Buddy-boy_. “James, go inside the house and get her friend.” 

“Hey, no!” Ellie cried out, causing David to lock his arm around her neck, pressing lightly as he covered her mouth with his hand. 

“Don’t yell, kid, we’re trying to keep you alive here,” he said, nodding to his friend as he began quietly raising the garage door. 

_That sounds like complete bullshit,_ Ellie thought to herself grimly. 

“You see these men all around?” David said, guiding her in a small circle to gaze at their surroundings. “They would kill you without a second thought. I’m keeping you safe from them.”

“You should be grateful,” Buddy-boy hissed at her as he returned, Joel in tow, tied to the makeshift gurney that Ellie had crafted weeks ago. He turned his attention to David. “Looks like this thing can be attached to the horse.”

Ellie’s eyes widened as she saw Joel being tugged around by that stupid _fucker_ \- she absolutely wouldn’t allow it. She wouldn’t let them take him.

“Good. Hook it up, then,” David instructed, loosening his grip around Ellie’s throat. “The girl and I will go on ahead.”

She began struggling, trying her best to slip out from under David’s bicep, kicking and flailing her legs around in an attempt to gain traction on the ground. 

“Hey, no. None of that,” David said to her sternly, like he was disciplining some unruly child. Ellie continued to thrash around, and even as the hold on her neck tightened she wouldn’t let up. Her vision went hazy, then pitch black completely as her eyes eventually fluttered shut. 

…

When Ellie came to, she didn’t like what she saw. 

Her eyes blinked drowsily a few times, then widened as she realized she was looking down at a snowy pathway. A trail of footprints led down a slope, where in the distance she spied Buddy-boy riding atop Callus. 

Her body felt too light - she was being _carried._ David had slung her over his shoulder like a corpse.

“Hey!” she growled, moving to pound on his back with her fists before realizing that she was still restrained. She settled for trying to headbutt him in the back from her increasingly awkward angle. “Let me go!”

“Cut it _out._ ” the man ordered with a gruff sigh, seemingly irritated by her struggles. “You really ought to learn to be more appreciative, kid. You and your friend wouldn’t have made it another week out there. I’m _trying_ to help you. I just wish you would let me.” 

Ellie continued her battery as she conversed, spitting her words out at him like a venom. “Help us _how_ exactly? By sending people out to kill us? By choking me till I pass out? By - ‘’

Ellie’s words were interrupted by a sudden flash of movement, and then an impact that quite literally knocked all the breath out of her body. Her hands, still fastened tightly behind her back, made an unsettling cracking noise as they braced all of her weight. She lay flat on her back, spikes of pain shooting up her spine like a lightning bolt as she wheezed, unable to move or think or do much at all.

David perched himself over her body, pressing down on her shoulders in case she tried to move. “You would’ve died sooner or later out there. From infection or hunger or the cold - I don’t know, but believe me, it would have happened. What you need is a community, people who can protect you and help your friend get back on his feet. We have food, and water, and doctors who can help. So, please, just _cooperate_.” 

Ellie’s eyes narrowed in suspicion, her uneven breaths coming out in the form of discomforted gasps. She still couldn’t quite speak, but David could easily gauge her expression. 

He continued, “My community can provide for you. But you have to convince them you’re not some wild girl, so the people will be more forthcoming. I’ve talked to them already myself, told them how you can come around and it would be better to have you as a friend than an enemy. You’re _mighty_ dangerous out there with a gun, after all.” He stroked the side of her arm, not failing to notice the bruises already manifesting themselves on various parts of her visible body. “But not everyone is convinced. Some people still want to kill you and your friend, have you guys hung up front or slaughtered in some other gruesome way.” 

Ellie shuddered at the thought. 

David told her, “I’m fighting for you, can’t you see? _I’m_ on _your_ side. I need your help to convince everyone that we should give your friend the medical attention he needs, but if we fail then the others will kill the both of you without a second thought. Is that what you want?”

Ellie was quiet. She didn’t want to give in, but… 

“Tell me, yes or no. Is that what you want? For you and your friend to die?” He repeated himself, articulating every word as he gazed into her eyes. 

She didn’t want to die. She didn’t want _Joel_ to die.

“No,” she finally answered. 

“Good. Because that’s not what I want, either,” David said with a smile, removing himself from his position on top of her. He offered the young girl a hand, but she declined as she rose on her own, rather unsteadily at that.

“If helping us is really all you want to do, then you’ll let us go as soon as… _he_ gets fixed up,” Ellie spoke somberly, nudging her head backwards where Joel was slewn along by Buddy-boy and Callus. She still wasn’t at all happy about their predicament. She didn’t like this guy, and she sure as hell didn’t like this ‘community’ he kept talking about. _They all sound like shitheads._

David placed his hands on her shoulders, a serene expression on his face as he chose to accept her temporary complacence as a victory. “You have my word.”

_And what the fuck is that worth?_


	2. Questions & Answers

**2**

...

David tried making conversations several more times throughout their trek, but Ellie wasn’t in the mood to talk. And certainly not to him. 

Once they finally arrived at David’s community, Ellie did have to admit it looked pretty legitimate. Everyone that she saw looked well-fed, at least, though they were just loitering around for no particular reason, shooting daggers at her with their eyes. David wrapped an arm around her shoulder - which she shrugged off as quickly as she could, only for him to place it there again and then leaned in to whisper, “Remember, you have to _convince_ them. I don’t want to have to do anything rash, you hear me?” 

“ _Don’t fucking tell me what to do_ ,” Ellie whispered back.

Flashing her a tight-lipped smile, David looked to Buddy-boy, who had just caught pace with them upon advent. “James, take the old man over to the medical center and help set him up for the night. Talk to the doctors over there, ask ‘em what they can do.” 

Ellie moved to join Buddy-boy and Joel, only to be stopped by David’s grip on both her shoulder _and_ the rope that bound her hands together. She glanced back at him in confusion, eyes narrowed, attempting to pull forward once more only to be prevented by him again.

“Okay, what’s the problem?” Ellie questioned, a clearly annoyed tone present in her voice. 

David nudged his head towards a building over to their left. “The doctors will take care of your friend just fine. You need to come with me, get some food in you.” 

Ellie shook her head. “ _No._ How can I be sure you people aren’t gonna kill him the second I take my eyes off him?”

“He’ll be okay. You’ve got my word.” David’s words were kind, yet his eyes displayed a certain harshness. 

“ _No_ ,” she repeated firmly. She was suddenly aware of all the eyes on them. She wondered if she looked tough at all, or if she just looked like some dumb kid. _If I could cross my arms, I would_...

David pulled his pistol from its holster, pressing the barrel against Ellie’s forehead as he yanked her towards him by the fabric of her shirt. “If you don’t want to cooperate, then that’s fine. I’ll just shoot, and we’ll leave your friend to die out in the cold. No skin off our backs, hm? Two less enemies we gotta battle for supplies with, after all,” he lowered the gun, revealing a repulsively warm smile that somehow chilled Ellie to her core. “Or you can come along with me and see your friend in the morning. Which one is more preferable to you?”

Ellie let out a sigh before begrudgingly trudging along beside David in the complete opposite direction from where Joel was being taken. She noticed the men that had been watching their spat dispersing. _Looks like the show’s over_. 

Once inside, David led Ellie into what looked like a dining room. He sat her down, taking a few extra minutes to bind her to the chair. 

“I’m sorry about this,” he said as he finished up, “Once I can trust you, I won’t have to - ‘’

“ _Restrain me anymore_. Yeah, I get it.” Ellie snapped, rolling her eyes as her back was pressed flat against the dining chair.

David looked at her for a moment, then disappeared briefly into an adjacent room. He quickly returned with a plate full of food, and one that looked _extremely_ appetizing at that. Ellie tried her best not to seem too eager about the prospect of a meal, but her salivating mouth betrayed her. Eating absolutely nothing but boiled rabbit for weeks could do that to a girl, she supposed. 

“I know you’re hungry,” David announced, taking the seat open right next to her. He set the plate down on a tray, slowly sliding it towards Ellie as he continued speaking. “And I _want_ you to eat. Really. More than anything I do... but I’ll need something in return.” 

She could hardly tear her eyes away from the meal to glance over at him. “What?”

“I’m gonna ask you some questions. For each question you answer, I’ll feed you a bite.” David explained, smiling. “Ready?” 

Ellie squinted her eyes as she thought, eyes slowly trailing from David’s annoying face back down to the food in front of her. She nodded. 

David stabbed at a piece of meat, latching it onto a fork. He asked, “What’s your name, kid?” 

“Why do you need to know that?” she fired back.

“Well, because I _want_ to know,” David responded plainly.

“Why do you _want_ to know?” 

“Because you’re an interesting girl. I’d like to get to know you better, and that’s awfully hard to do when I don’t even know something as simple as your name.” David said. 

_How the hell am I so interesting?_ Ellie wondered. Her gaze wandered off for a few seconds before she finally answered, “Ellie.” 

David rewarded her just as he’d promised, spooning a chunkful of meat into her mouth as he chuckled. “Now that wasn’t so hard, was it? _Ellie._ What a pretty name for such a pretty girl.” 

Ellie’s chewing slowed as she processed his words. _Pretty?_ What was some geezer like him calling her pretty for? Nobody had ever called her that word in her entire life! She supposed it was meant to be a compliment, but coming from someone like him… it just made her feel weird. 

“Next question,” David announced, interrupting her flurry of thoughts. “What’s your relationship with that man? The one that’s hurt.”

“I know who you’re talking about, obviously.” Ellie snarled, leaning forward in her chair a bit. “I… don’t want to answer that one.” 

David tilted his head. “How about this, Ellie. You get _one_ pass, where even if you don’t answer the question, I’ll still feed you. But other than that one time, if you come upon a question you don’t want to answer, then dinner time will be over. So, tell me, are you sure you want to use your _only_ pass this early on?”

A single look at the plate and Ellie knew that it wasn’t a good idea. Other than her sole bite, everything was still completely intact. It would _all_ be wasted if she messed up in this stupid game...

“We’re just traveling together. That’s all,” she said, trying to sound as firm as she possibly could. 

David fed her another bite, posing another question as she chewed. “Where were you traveling to?”

“Nowhere in particular,” Ellie responded, a little too quickly. “We were just wandering around, looking for shelter, when your men got him hurt.”

David shrugged. “When someone’s shooting at you, you shoot back. Even if it’s a little cutie like yourself.” 

_Could he not talk like that?_ Could he not keep referring to her, someone less than half his age, as attractive? It was fucking _weird_ , and frankly, just totally creeped her out at this point…

“How old are you, Ellie?” David asked. 

She didn’t see much purpose in lying. “Fourteen.”

David nodded as he fed her. “How long have you and that man been travelling together?”

“Two years,” Ellie lied. 

“And you still haven’t found what you’re looking for?” David questioned, raising an eyebrow. 

“That’s because we’re not _looking_ for _anything_ ,” Ellie said, rather defensively. “Also, that definitely counts as a question.” 

The man spooned some food into her mouth as her promised reward. “What’s that man’s name?”

“Why do you care?” she spat back. She was getting _really_ tired of his prying. “If I’m the one that’s so interesting, why do you need to know anything about him?”

David looked unfazed by her reluctance to answer. “Are you using your pass?” 

“Yes, I’m using my _stupid_ pass for your _stupid_ question. I’m not a fucking six-year-old, you know. Just because you disguise it as a stupid game doesn’t mean I don’t realize you’re just trying to find information.” Ellie said, opening her mouth as she was fed. 

“I know you’re not just some kid, Ellie,” David said, clearly trying to appeal to her without addressing her accusations. “Heck, in my eyes, you’re practically a grown woman.” 

_Does not make me feel any better,_ thought Ellie. She took her time in chewing to try and avoid speaking to him. 

“So, what you said before… why do you think that is?” David changed the subject after realizing Ellie wasn’t responding to his initial statement. 

She looked over at him, wearing an expression of confusion. “What?” 

“You know, about how you said I’m so interested in you. Why do you think that is, Ellie?” David asked. 

“Why do I think…?” she repeated slowly, a little perturbed. He had caught her way off guard. “I… I don’t know.”

“Come on, just guess.” David pressured her. “There’s no right or wrong answer.”

As the sickening feeling within Ellie’s stomach expanded, she realized that she didn’t _want_ to know. 

She shook her head. “I’m not answering. I’m done.” 

David frowned. This was likely not the scenario he had envisioned. “You sure? You only finished half your plate.” 

Ellie was silent, looking everywhere but where her dinner companion sat. Eventually, the man accepted her lack of response as a surrender of sorts. 

“ _Well_ ,” David said with a sigh. “This isn’t exactly how I thought things would go. But as a little prize, I’ll answer that last question myself. For you.”

Ellie opened her mouth. “I don’t - ‘’

“What makes you so interesting to me is… your heart,” David confessed. “Where other people would give up or call it quits, your heart tells you to keep going. And you follow it. You’re _tenacious_ , and you’re _smart_ , and you’re _strong_. We need more people like you in this world. We need someone like you in this very community. Someone to stand by my side and… heh. You’re just… very, very special to me, Ellie.” 

He was rubbing small circles on her shoulders through her clothes. Ellie began to realize she regretted telling him her name, as she hated hearing it come from his mouth. 

“Have you ever felt that way about someone before?” David asked, his voice impossibly soft, contrasting the harsher tones she had heard him use earlier. His hands gently travelled around to her neck as he spoke.

She tried jerking away. “Don’t touch me.” 

David chuckled. “I’m not worried about you coming around no more. You’ll get there.” he stood up from his seat, collecting her plate and taking it to the connecting room, presumably to be washed. 

Ellie wanted to wash her skin where he had touched it. She felt… odd. She was frightened, but in a much different way than what she was used to. There were no immediate threats of death coming towards her. No _runners_. No _clickers_. No guns pointed in her face. This fear was long and drawn-out, stretched thin like a rubber band that ran along her stomach. She almost felt like she could vomit all the food she’d been served if she tried…

She was startled as she heard David’s footsteps reenter the room.

“Now, I’ve got another choice for you to make,” he said whilst moving towards her. “ _Personally_ , I’d say it’s an easy one.”

“What?” Ellie questioned, suppressing a groan. She didn’t want to be alone with this creep one second longer. 

David looked over at the door. “It’s about your sleeping arrangements for tonight.” 

“I should be staying with _J-_ ” the girl bit down on her tongue before she accidentally revealed Joel’s name. _Shit! I have to be more careful._ “...with my friend.” 

“You can’t. I’m sorry,” said David. It didn’t seem like he had noticed her slip-up. “I told you I’d let you see him in the morning.” 

“Why can’t I see him now?” Ellie questioned, trying to thrash a little in her seat to gauge how much freedom the restraints allowed her. _Not much_ , she soon realized. 

David sighed. “We haven’t been here for long. I’m sure the doctors are still working on him, doing their best.”

“I can’t even just be there?” Ellie continued to prod. 

“I said _no,_ Ellie. And next time, I hope I won’t have to repeat myself,” the man’s expression was hard for a moment, but soon transitioned into that of pleasantry. “Now, for the decision you’ve got to make… what would you prefer tonight, to sleep in a nice, warm bed? Or in a cell?” 

_That’s a stupid question with an easy answer,_ she thought. _Which means there’s gotta be a catch._

“What do I have to do for the bed?” Ellie asked. Her back was still aching from being thrown on the ground earlier. 

“Nothing absurd…” David said slowly. He smiled at her. “Just a quick little kiss.” 

Her jaw dropped a little, eyes widening in horror as she processed his words. Ellie thought about all his actions up to this point, the way that he treated her, talked to her… he was one of those freak perverts Marlene had warned her about. Immediately she found herself shaking her head. 

The man quirked an eyebrow, as if he was perplexed by her decision. “You’re sure? I know you must be sore. James told me you were sleeping on the floor back in that old house...”

“Yes, I’m _sure_ ,” Ellie snarled, leaning as far away from him as she possibly could. “You’re fucking _gross_ . If you think for one second I’m gonna do _anything_ like that then you can go - ‘’

“I’d watch that mouth of yours if I were you,” David interrupted her, her lips still parted halfway. “Some things are better kept to yourself. Especially if you want that sick friend of yours to live.” 

Ellie did shut up, but she fixed the most intimidating glare she could emulate onto her face. 

“You have a lot to learn, Ellie. But I am _confident_ that, in time, you’ll be able to adjust to your new life here,” he was gathering up his things, but making no move to untie her from the chair. “I have some matters to attend to. James will come and take you to the cell for the night... you’re welcome for the meal, by the way.”

She kept her eyes on him. She just wanted him to _leave_ already. 

“Oh, and Ellie?” 

The girl paused for a moment before realizing he wouldn’t continue until she responded. “What?” 

“You’re lucky that I accepted lies as answers during our little game today.” David offered her one last look before exiting through the door. 


	3. Little Rabbit

**3**

...

Ellie didn’t sleep particularly well that night. 

The little cell she had been tucked into was rather cold.  _ Freezing _ , actually. When she breathed she could see the breath whiten right in front of her, almost like she was still outside in the storm. 

She wondered, would she be given a blanket if she asked?

Ellie tried really hard to  _ not _ think about Joel. She was almost ill with worry, her stomach brimming with nausea each time his name crossed her mind. Inside her head she saw Joel beaten bloody, tortured for information on the Fireflies, or supplies, or whatever these people were interested in… she  _ wanted _ to hold out hope that he was still alive, but...

She felt that she had only drifted off into sleep a few times throughout the night, and it never felt longer than ten minutes at a time, but morning came nonetheless. Ellie really didn’t feel great, especially considering the circumstances, but she had to try and remind herself to think positively.  _ You will find Joel. You will escape together. You two will kill these crazy fuckers and get out of here. _

She almost didn’t notice David’s lackey wandering around the room that held her cell until he grunted in her direction, “You look like shit.” 

Ellie quickly realized he was probably right, but fired back nonetheless. “Yeah, and so do you. Except one of us spent the night in a freezing cold cell and actually has an excuse.” 

The man’s eyes narrowed in irritation, but he soon turned his back to her and continued doing whatever type of busy work he had been assigned. It looked like he was… taking stock of something, perhaps? 

Ellie realized she may have not gone about this the right way,  _ particularly _ when considering that she needed to see Joel and actually confirm he was still alive in order to make a plan to escape.

“David told me I could go see my friend today,” she said. “Are you here to take me to him?” 

The man was silent. It took Ellie a good ten seconds to realize that he was ignoring her. 

“Hello?” she raised her voice. “I know you can hear me, asshole.”

He didn’t respond, his back still turned to her. 

Growing frustrated, Ellie raised herself from her position on the ground. Immediately she felt the sore spot in her back flare up, emitting a tiny whimper of pain from between her lips. She slowly made her way over to the door of the cell, banging on it in an attempt to catch Buddy-boy - or  _ James’s  _ attention, as she had heard David call him so many times.

“ _ Hey _ ! David told me that I was seeing my friend today! Is that true or not?”

The man looked back at her with a grimace, teeth bared like he about to growl at her. “I don’t give a fuck what David tells you. I only give a fuck about what David tells  _ me _ . ‘Kay?” 

“Then go fucking ask him! And he’ll tell you you’re supposed to take me to see my friend,” Ellie barked back. 

James narrowed his eyes. “You think just because you’re David’s new little toy that you can tell me what to do?” 

Ellie’s nostrils flared in anger, her palms gripping the bars so tightly her fingers paled. “I’m not - ‘’

“Listen up, you stupid fuckin’ kid - you don’t have _any_ power around here. Things will be better for you if you learn to shut your mouth sooner rather than later, and know where your place is. Which is at the very, very bottom of the totem pole. Beneath the fucking _meat_ we chop up and the pots we piss in, and if you ever think you can give me orders again I swear I’ll knock that grin right off your fucking face. _Now_ , let me do my job, and don’t bother me again.” James huffed out, the exasperation evident in his voice and choice of words. His fists were bunched up at the side, as if he wanted to hit her but restrained himself. “If you don’t act like a little punk while I work, I’ll get David when I’m done.” 

Ellie  _ wanted  _ to respond with her own clever string of expletives, but she also wanted to see Joel again. And to see Joel, she needed to talk to David. To talk to David, she needed to be quiet while his lackey worked.

She lowered herself to the floor, drawing her knees to her chest as she watched James wander around the room, looking to be very invested in whatever boring activity he was doing. Unfortunately, it was the only source of entertainment she had.

...

After what seemed like only twenty or so minutes, James silently left the room. 

Ellie’s expression brightened considerably when she saw he was returning with David in tow. She made her way over to the door of the cell, ignoring the pricks of pain when she stood. 

“Good mornin’, Ellie,” David greeted her as he neared the cell. “Heard you were giving James here a hard time.” 

She glared at the both of them before responding. “You said you’d take me to see my friend in the morning.” 

“And it’s still morning. I kept my promise.” David lowered himself to one knee, making him closer to her height. “I promised to protect you, too, didn’t I?”

“Did you? I can’t remember.” Ellie could almost roll her eyes, but didn’t want to break their eye contact. “Was that before or after you knocked me unconscious and forced me to stay in this shithole camp?” 

David clucked his tongue. “You’ve got a mouth on today, hm? I hope you haven’t already forgotten what I told you last night.” 

_ Some things are better kept to yourself. Especially if you want that sick friend of yours to live.  _ Ellie frowned at the memory. 

“We have a very simple system here. It’s easy to follow, you see…  _ behave _ , and you’ll be rewarded.  _ Disobey _ and you’ll be punished. Sounds fair, right?” David didn’t bother waiting for the girl to respond before he continued. “Now, I was  _ planning  _ on allowing you to see your friend today despite all of the bad behavior I saw yesterday… because you’re still learning. But today, too? Really, Ellie?” the man shook his head, as if he were disappointed in her. “Part of me wants to leave you in here alone all day and never let you see your friend at all. That’s certainly what James wants me to do. Isn’t that right, James?” 

James nodded, standing off to the side. It seemed that he didn’t care to be a part of this discussion very much at all. 

“But I’m a merciful man. I can’t help it.” David said, returning his gaze to Ellie. “So I’ll still allow you out, just for a check-up... if you’d only give something in return.” 

“What is it?” she asked, an unwelcome feeling boiling inside her stomach. 

David gave her a warm smile. “Just a kiss on the cheek. A little…  _ gift,  _ from you to me.” 

Ellie looked away, her facial expression that of complete uncertainty. She needed to see Joel, that much was obvious… but she didn’t  _ want  _ to entertain David’s perversions. At all. She could hardly stand to listen to him talk, let alone allow actual physical contact between them - he  _ disgusted  _ her.

“How do I know he’s not dead already?” Ellie questioned, 

“If we wanted him dead, we’d have just left him out in that house. Injuries or cold would’ve taken him.” David easily answered her. 

The sooner she could see Joel, the sooner she could come up with a plan to escape. Ellie took a deep breath, closing her eyes before uttering, “Okay, fine. I’ll do it.”  _ You sick fuck,  _ she wanted to add. 

“That’s a smart girl,” David praised her, lining the side of his face up to spots in-between bars. 

_ At least it’s not as bad as a real kiss,  _ Ellie tried to remind herself, her heart beating rapidly inside of her chest as she approached the man’s musky scent.  _ It’s really gross, but you’ll live. Just pretend it’s Riley…  _

She puckered her lips and, as lightly as she could, pressed them to David’s bearded cheek. Instantly she sprang backwards, wiping her lips off on her hands as a wave of shame swept over her. 

“Thank you, Ellie,” David spoke repulsively sincerely, as if he’d been marked by an angel.

Ellie merely scoffed in response. 

David nodded to James. “Go in there and get her restraints on. Just the ones around the wrist, like last time.” 

Ellie’s eyes were downcast as James entered the cell, tying her hands behind her back just as he’d been instructed.  _ This is all for Joel,  _ she had to keep reminding herself to stifle the urge to fight back.  _ It’ll all be okay. You guys can escape together. You just need to pay attention! You just need to make a plan…  _

She continued her internal chanting even as David and James both took an arm of hers and began guiding themselves out of the room. They were taking her a different route than she had journeyed through yesterday, she realized. Which did make sense considering Joel had been dragged to the complete opposite side of the camp than she had. 

They ushered her through a short hallway, then turned round a corner into a room even colder than where she’d slept. It was a meat locker, by the looks of it, and hanging down from the ceiling were - 

Ellie’s legs stopped moving. Some strange little noise escaped from her mouth, one she could hardly even hear. A look of sheer horror contorted her features.  _ Human bodies.  _ Bloody, butchered, all of them grotesque, some even with  _ faces _ still on them - hung all over the room. 

_ These. People. Are. Fucking. Crazy.  _

Her body had paused, then accelerated. Ellie quickly shot both of her elbows back, one of the men emitting a groan of pain and she set off into a sprint, slipping out of the other one’s grasp in doing so. She couldn’t quite see while navigating through the dead people scattered all around the place. Couldn’t really breathe either, not with all of her breaths coming out in the form of panicked little gasps, and she  _ also _ had absolutely no clue where she was going. Thoughts were not forming coherently inside Ellie’s head, only the intense feeling of terror striking her again and again in even more intense pangs. She just  _ ran.  _

A large hand grabbed a fistful of her hair, yanking her down to the floor in which her skull was forcefully smashed into numerous times, all the way until she could feel trickles of blood swimming down her temple. 

Ellie’s vision blurred, but the pain in her head was constant, and only further extenuated by the fingers wound up way too tightly in her hair. She could feel the ground dragging against her clothes. She could feel individual hairs being pulled from her scalp by the ferocity of this person’s grasp. 

“You stupid fucking kid,” a voice spat, dipping in and out of Ellie’s eardrums, one she could just barely distinguish it as David’s.

_ Stop it. Let me go.  _ She  _ wanted _ to plead, but knew it was useless. It was hard to even think, and would prove nearly impossible to speak. She tried wriggling out of the rope tied around her wrists to no avail. 

David took a hold of her shoulders and easily tossed her into the cell. “You will  _ not  _ pull anything like that again, you hear me? Not unless you wanna end up like the folks you saw in there.”

Ellie lay crumpled on the cold ground, feeling much less like a person and more like a broken blood vessel. She could feel the irony liquid spilling all over her face, matting her hair and staining her clothes. She felt dizzy and lightheaded, unable to even move herself into a sitting position. 

“This could have gone a lot better, you know. You could have behaved yourself and seen your friend. But you _ had _ to go and fuck it all up!” the man pulled her up by the torso, leaning her up against the wall as he glared down at her limp form. “I hope this teaches you a lesson, I really do. You need to learn some manners, learn not to take the kindness of strangers for granted.  _ Nod _ if you understand.” 

Ellie’s breathing was still unsteady as she spoke, an overwhelming feeling of hatred burning a hole inside her brain as she locked eyes with David. “ _ Fuck you _ .” 

His face twisted up, fury consuming him. His hand struck her hard, straight across the cheek - one, two, three times before she fell back down to the floor, struggling viciously to release her hands from their restraints up until the man landed a hard kick straight into her ribcage. Ellie cried out in pain, curling in on herself in an effort to shield her wounded body from any more attacks. 

She flinched as she felt David’s breath hot in her ear, one of his hands resting uncomfortably on the nape of her neck as he leaned over her. Goosebumps rose solely by his presence.

“You need to listen to me when I tell you this, Ellie…” David’s voice was very low, vibrating against her ears almost like a growl. “You have  _ no idea _ what I’m capable of.”


	4. Quality Time

**4**

...

Ellie didn’t think she’d ever been so beat up in her entire life. 

Her ribs just _ached_. She wondered if David had perhaps broken one when he nailed the rough tip of his boot straight into her torso. Her cheeks were swollen and tasted of blood when she ran her tongue over them - she probably looked like a chipmunk. _And_ her hair was still entirely damp with blood, some of which had dried and some still oozing from the mysterious wound she couldn’t quite find. It hurt just to touch as gently as possible with the tips of her fingers, and she didn’t want to add too much more pressure. 

Whenever she and Joel went out on runs or whatever, _sure_ she would end up with a few scrapes and bruises from all the crazy shit they did. But never like this. There had never been someone intentionally slapping her, kicking her, pulling on her hair… 

The young girl had been rather glum the entire day after that miserable morning. Her stomach relentlessly growled in hunger; she was never given breakfast. Her body hurt. She missed Joel, especially since she had never been able to see him after all. She hoped he was okay. Hoped he hadn’t been chopped up and turned into...

Ellie was shaken from her dark thoughts as the door started creaking open. She tensed at the sight of David, gingerly approaching her in the dimly lit room with something in his hands. Upon moving closer to her, she soon realized it was a tray of food. 

“Hi there, Ellie,” the man’s voice was softer now, a distinct contrast to the frightening pitch she had heard him use earlier. He set the tray down on the ground, sliding it through to her side of the cell. “Brought you some food. Figured you might not want to eat with me in the dining room after, erm… all that this mornin’.”

She chose not to look at him and instead stared at the offered meal, unsure of its contents. 

David leaned down to match her height, resting a hand on his knee as he did so. “I’m sorry for what I did, Ellie. I shouldn’t have hit you… you’re special to me, and I don’t want to have to hurt you. But you can’t go overreacting like that. It makes _me_ overreact back, you hear?” 

“You didn’t _have_ to. You chose to.” Ellie corrected him bitterly, not even wanting to comment on the _overreacting_ part of his stupid spiel. Overreacting would have been killing him and that idiot James, not freaking out like some dumb kid and running away.

“I-I know. I know, and I’m sorry... okay? I really don’t want this to become a problem. I don’t want this to come between us.” David pleaded with her. 

“There’s no _us_.” Ellie stated firmly. She would cross her arms in front of her chest if she could. 

“But there _is,_ sweet girl. There is,” the man’s voice only got more breathless as his desperation rose. “I’m just trying to help you adapt to your new life as easily as I can. And that may involve you learning a few lessons along the way, just like today.” 

Ellie wanted to scoff. “Lessons in what, exactly? What is _so_ important that you’re trying to teach me?”

“To behave.” David answered simply. 

Ellie furrowed her eyebrows, unsure of how to respond. She didn’t want to behave. She didn’t want to be here at all, trapped with these crazy people… she didn’t want to adapt to her ‘new life’, whatever the fuck _that_ was supposed to mean...

David interrupted their short period of shared silence. “Are you scared of me, Ellie?” 

_Yes._ “No,” the girl replied. 

“I’m glad,” David said, a smile stretching thinly across his lips. “Because _I’m_ not the enemy here. _I’m_ the only one here that’s on your side. The only one that wants to keep you alive. Everyone else in this camp wants you and your friend killed, you understand? I’m preventing that from happening. For _you_.”

Ellie shook her head, disbelief evident in her tone. “How can I believe my friend is still alive when you wouldn’t even let me see him?”

“He _is_. He is, I promise.” David put his hands up in the air as if to calm her down. 

Ellie looked at her plate, eyes drilling into the disfigured meat. “I bet this is him right here. You people are fucking sick.” 

“It’s _not_ ,” he tried to reassure her. “We do what we have to, to survive. You’re a survivor, aren’t you?” 

“I’m not like you,” she spat.

“We’re not different,” David insisted, ignoring the highly dubious expression resting upon Ellie’s face. “We sometimes have to resort to eating our own, when times are tough. You and your friend had to resort to killing off a whole bunch of men, ‘cause times were tough. You understand, don’t you?” 

Ellie was just so sick of him. Sick of hearing his voice. Sick of feeling his disgusting presence darken the entire room time after time. She just wanted him to leave her _alone._

Pointing to her plate, she said, “Be honest with me. Is this human?” 

“ _No_. I would never do that without telling you.” David shook his head back and forth violently, acting like the idea of tricking her was completely blasphemous.

Ellie huffed out, “Is my friend still alive?” 

“He is,” David nodded. “I’ll take you to him tomorrow. I promise.” 

_Yeah, and I’ve heard that one before..._ she thought to herself. Unsure if he was telling the truth, Ellie averted her gaze to the side. 

David quickly took notice of her movement. “Don’t be sad, Ellie. I know today was hard, but things will get better. It’ll get _easier_.” He was trying, rather pathetically at that, to cheer her up... “You can enjoy your meal, with or without me - I’ll let you choose. Tomorrow you’ll see your friend. Maybe I can even have a doctor look at you, too. Does anything hurt?” 

Ellie almost laughed. She could still taste blood in her mouth, feel the throbbing of her cheek. “ _Everything_.”

The man’s bottom lip tugged. 

“Can you leave?” Ellie questioned irritably, her patience growing thinner by the second. “You said I could choose, right? So leave.”

David took a breath as he rose, looking down at the girl unhappily. “You’ll come around,” he said, as if he was still trying to convince himself. 

_I won’t,_ Ellie swore inside her head. She watched the man as he left, never taking her eyes off the door until it closed behind him, and even for a few moments afterwards.

…

Shockingly, the next morning, as _promised_ by a liar, Ellie was taken from her cell to see Joel. 

But not without updated restrictions. Her arms were bound from the elbow all the way down to her wrists, hung lifelessly in front of her like a straitjacket. Her ankles were now tied together as well, making it nearly impossible to walk. David hoisted her over his shoulder like a sack as they travelled. 

It was absolutely _humiliating_ , but Ellie was able to suck up her discomfort in exchange for confirming Joel’s living status. It wasn’t the longest walk, only about ten minutes or so, when David finally set her back down on her feet.

He pointed to a sleeping figure laid on a makeshift hospital bed, separated from the both of them by a clear wall. “There he is.” 

Ellie’s breath got caught in her throat as she recognized all the familiar Joel-like features: his broad physique, scraggly facial hair, brunette hair peppered with flecks of silver. She couldn’t take her eyes off of him, as if she was frightened the moment she did he would just simply turn to dust. 

“C-can I go in? Can I talk to him?” her voice didn’t sound like her own as she begged. Though Joel hadn’t been very talkative at all the past few weeks, Ellie very much missed all of their conversations they used to have together.

“For right now… we can’t let you two communicate,” David said regretfully. “And, ah, he wouldn’t be able to, anyway.” 

That comment caught Ellie’s attention. Her head swiveled to glare at the man, an accusatory tone in her voice as she questioned, “What does that mean?”

“Guess this is as good a time as any…” David said with a sigh, placing a hand on Ellie’s shoulder. “Your friend is... sick.”

“I’m _aware_ ,” Ellie snapped, jerking her shoulder in an attempt to remove his hand - unsuccessfully. 

“And the medicine he needs… well, we _know_ where to find it. But it’s far.” David tightened his grip, almost like a warning. “We’d have to send ten or twenty men out to get it, and frankly, not everyone is on board with the idea. Why waste the time? Why waste the men?”

Ellie held her breath. 

David continued. “If you really want me to, I can convince them it’s in our best interest to go out and get the medicine. But I’ll - ‘’

“ _Need something in return._ ” Ellie grumbled out. “What is it?” 

If it was anything like the last time, she’d... 

“Nothing bad,” David reassured her, his hand slowly lowering to caress the side of her arm. “I just want to spend some more time with you.” 

Ellie’s face twisted up. She already saw him every single day, wasn’t that enough? “Time with me… doing what?” 

“Nothing in particular,” the man responded vaguely. “Just spending quality time together, like _friends_. Now, does that sound so terrible?” 

Ellie’s lips parted, a cold fear trickling into her system as she pondered the gravity of the situation. She looked over at Joel’s still form, assessing every part of him that was visible to the eye. She fell into a nervous silence as she felt David’s eyes on her.

“I bet you two used to spend a lot of quality time together, hm?” David’s voice lowered, some type of emotion she couldn’t quite decipher swimming around in there. 

_What’s he talking about? Me and Joel…?_ “What’s that supposed to mean?” Ellie demanded, mostly to avoid answering his question.

“Ah… nothing,” David said, once again adapting a lighthearted tone. “So, what do you say?” 

The more Ellie looked at Joel, the paler he seemed to get. “If… if he doesn’t get the medicine, will he die?” 

“Yes.” the answer came quickly. 

Ellie was more than slightly suspicious. She couldn’t _not_ be - she didn’t trust these people. But Joel _did_ look sick. And he hadn’t been healthy for a while even before… and even if David was lying to her, it was far too big of a gamble. Joel’s life just _wasn’t_ something she felt comfortable taking a chance with. 

“Okay, then. I’ll… sure, whatever. As long as he gets the stuff he needs,” the girl seceded, shoulders slumping as she did so. 

A smile rose to David’s face. He squeezed along her arm. “Thank you, Ellie. Really. Tonight, then?” 

The girl sighed. “Do I have a choice?” 

David chuckled. “You’ve already made one.”

…

The rest of Ellie’s day continued as usual, except with an added layer of anxiety shadowing her every thought. 

Her life in captivity was rather boring, she had realized. Not as bad as the days where she just lounged around Joel’s unconscious body, throwing imaginary darts around the room and had conversations with someone who couldn’t even hear her, but it was along those same lines. All she was allowed to do was sit in her cell, sometimes trying to get information out of James if at any point he entered the room she was being held in. No attempts were successful, seeing as James wasn’t very pleased to see her after she had apparently elbowed him in the ribs the other day. 

“David should have killed you,” he had told her bluntly, receiving a brutal glare immediately afterwards.

Though Ellie was kept very secluded from the other people living in this camp, she had been able to piece together little tidbits of information throughout the few days she’d been there. The people were cannibals, first of all - which completely grossed her out. A lot of things about this weird place were off-putting, but _people_ eating other _people_ took the cake by a landslide.

Another thing she found interesting was that from what she had seen thus far… it didn’t seem like David’s people had much faith in him. It was very different from Tommy’s town, at least. Over there, nobody really questioned Tommy. They all respected him, all liked him, and they definitely trusted him to keep everyone safe. 

_Here,_ the townspeople were constantly questioning David’s authority. Even James didn’t really agree with whatever decisions David was making, especially in regards to Ellie… David was always trying to convince her that he was good and everyone else was bad. That he was the only one who wanted her to live. And while Ellie didn’t doubt that he _was_ trying to keep her alive for whatever… weird purposes he had, she was unsure of what would happen afterwards. She hoped she could escape before she found out firsthand. 

Ellie hadn’t gotten a spectacular vantage point while being escorted over to see Joel earlier, but she was moderately confident that _if_ she was able to sneak out of her cell somehow, she could retrace the steps well enough. 

The main issue was that she was still being restrained. She could feel the uncomfortable burning sensation running up and down her arms and circling in a red ring around her ankles, painfully keeping her constantly on edge. To do anything, she would first have to be freed from her bindings...

Ellie felt frightened for whatever David had planned, even though that was rather difficult to admit to herself. But she had to stay focused. She had to remember it was for Joel. She could use whatever this was as an opportunity to learn more about this place, and get one step closer to escaping. Once Joel had his medicine, they were going to be out of there as soon as possible. 

So when David eventually arrived later that day to collect her from the cell, she didn’t show him any type of emotion. He scooped her up and carried her from the room as Ellie’s eyes shifted towards the ground, trying her best to memorize any patterns or markings. 

Ellie was surprised when she was set down softly onto a cushiony sofa just a few minutes later. She blinked, taking notice of the surroundings: she was in what looked like… some kind of entertainment room? There were board games and piles of books organized neatly into a large cabinet, a dartboard lined up on the wall, little posters and things hung all around the room that made it feel vibrant. She had never seen anything quite like it. 

“What is this place?” Ellie asked, her curiosity getting the best of her.

David chuckled. “You like it?” 

The girl didn’t offer any response, prompting David to continue. “This is what I like to call… the fun room. It’s a place you can come to when you’re being rewarded for good behavior. There are games, and books, and other fun things.”

“Then why am _I_ here?” Ellie asked, raising an eyebrow. “I’m not being rewarded for anything, so...”

David retrieved a tray of food from a stray table in the corner of the room, speaking softly to her as he approached the sofa. “We have our little deal, you remember? And on top of that, I want you to make yourself comfortable, Ellie. If things go well, we can start spending some more time in here together.”

 _I would gladly stay in here by myself,_ she thought. _With this guy, not so much._

“Now, look at all this food here. You’re hungry, aren’t you?” David held the tray in his hands. 

“I’m _hungry_ because you don’t give me any breakfast.” the words simply slipped out from Ellie’s mouth. She flinched as David’s fist jerked up from his side, preparing to strike her. He paused for a moment, shaking with anger as he glared down at her, then sat back down on the sofa with a troubled expression.

“You’re always _testing_ me,” he hissed at her. “I don’t want to hurt you today, Ellie, and I’m not going to let you _ruin_ this for me.”

 _Just today?_ “Ruin what?” 

David shot her another look. “You’re on thin ice, you know that? I’m going to take a moment to go collect myself, and when I come back, I _expect_ you to behave. If you _choose_ not to, then no run. That means no medicine for your friend. And you know that around here we don’t waste any of our meat.” 

He left the room, but Ellie could hardly hear his footsteps. 


	5. Questions & Answers Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning! Things get a bit graphic in this chapter.

**5**

...

After David exited the room, Ellie wanted to scream. She wanted to tear her restraints off, grab her stiletto, and stab David in the neck until he choked on his own blood. 

But that would be  _ stupid.  _ Her impulses weren’t doing her any good in this environment, and if she kept at it then Joel would wind up dead sooner rather than later. They would literally  _ eat  _ him if she wasn’t careful.

She had to watch her tongue. Especially if she wanted the bruises covering her body to fade before new ones had the chance to replace them...

Upon David’s return, he entered the room with an audible sigh. “You’ve made things harder for yourself, you know that, Ellie? I was going to give that food to you for free, but now... I’m convinced you need to return the favor.” 

Her voice was quieter as she questioned, “How?”

“How about we…” David thought for a moment. “Have a round two of the game we were playing the other day? The one with the questions?” 

Internally, Ellie wished to protest. That wasn’t even a real  _ game,  _ first of all - it was just a fucking interrogation! All he wanted to do was get information out of her, and clearly wasn’t content with the little he had been given from their previous session… 

She couldn’t speak as freely as she had back then. She couldn’t be reckless with her words, and she needed to eat if she wanted to muster up enough energy to actually escape sometime in the near future. 

“Okay. Go.” Ellie nodded. 

The man looked pleased towards her lack of objection. “Good girl. What’s your favorite color?”

_ Why does he need to know that? _ “Uh… green.” Ellie opened her mouth as she was fed. 

“Green, hm?” David smiled. “Like your eyes. You got the prettiest green eyes I’ve ever seen.” 

She simply continued chewing her food. 

“While they’re, uh, out on the run... maybe our men can find some new clothes for you,” David mused, preparing another spoonful of food. “Would you like that? Somethin’ with a little green, maybe?”

Ellie paused before answering. “Um… yeah.”

Despite her obvious lack of enthusiasm, David still rewarded the girl. Next, he asked, “So, Ellie… that man you care so much about. I’m going to need to know a little bit more about him, alright? Are you two… friends?”

Ellie nodded, not wishing to delve into any further details on their complicated relationship that would give  _ way  _ too much away about their identities. 

“Ah. I see… and when did you meet?” his prodding was polite, but Ellie was very much aware of where his temper could go in just a few matter of seconds. She had to be careful with her responses, but at the same time was almost positive David had asked her these exact same questions already… 

“Why…” she cleared her throat, forcing herself to adapt a more pleasant tone. “Why are you asking me this again?” 

“Oh, so you remember,” David laughed, a little sheepishly. “Can I just be honest? I’m not sure that I believed you all the way last time. I think you were still scared, still thought maybe we’d hurt you, and it affected your honesty. Is that right?” 

_ You’ve already hurt me,  _ Ellie thought to herself. She hesitated to answer. 

“Answer me honestly, Ellie. You don’t want to get caught lying  _ twice _ now,” the man flashed a grin at her, as if to try and influence her decision. “So I’ll ask you again. When did you and that man meet?” 

Ellie was, admittedly, worried about the possibility of David actually being able to tell if she was lying or not. She took a silent breath before answering, “About, um… six months ago, I think?” 

“Thank you for answering truthfully, sweet girl,” David’s voice was sugary sweet as he spooned food into her mouth. “And what’s your relationship to him? Why are you travelling together?” 

“Those are two different questions.” Ellie’s voice slightly soured with accusation. 

“And you’ll answer both of them,” the man supplied words for her. 

Ellie lips tugged into a scowl, but she complied nonetheless. “The person who was taking care of me got killed, so he started looking after me instead. We’re trying to find his brother now.” David fed her twice more for the two questions. 

Ellie silently rejoiced, pleased with her ability to lie to him undetected. Well, maybe the trick was to not  _ outright _ lie, but to  _ bend the truth.  _ Marlene  _ had _ gotten killed… as far as she knew. There was a small chance she could still be alive, but it definitely wasn’t very likely. And they  _ had  _ looked for Joel’s brother Tommy, but the difference was they had already found him months ago and gone their separate ways.

“I’m proud of you, Ellie. You’re really proving yourself today,” David praised her. “Those are all the questions I’ve got for now. But I’ll feed you the rest of your dinner, of course.”

The man followed through on his promise, at least. He gave her the last ten or so bites without asking for anything in return - yet Ellie did feel she had given him more than enough of what he wanted. She had another gnawing feeling, however, that their evening together wasn’t over yet.

Ellie’s plate was nearly spotless, completely devoid of food. She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt  _ so _ full…

“Have you ever had dessert?” David asked, interrupting her moment of contentment. 

Ellie shook her head. She had heard of the term before, but never quite understood the reasoning. A sweet after dinner? Why waste the food, if you’ve already eaten? And what was the point in eating junk food when there were far better things to keep up your strength, especially back then? It just didn’t make any sense to her. 

“Mm. I thought so,” David stood up, shuffling over to a different corner of the room. After some rustling around, he turned back around to face Ellie, holding something in the palm of his hand. He offered it to her. “Here. For you.” 

Ellie tilted her head, eyes focusing in on the object. It looked familiar, but the name escaped her… “A… cupcake?”

“No, it’s called a cookie. You ever had one?” asked David. 

“I’ve had a  _ few _ ,” she responded, a little defensively. She didn’t like when it felt like he was looking down on her. 

“ _ Ah _ ,” David nodded, but it still felt like he was making fun of her due to the big, annoying smile on his face. He held the cookie up to her lips. “You want it? It’s yours. It’s a little  _ thank you _ for agreeing to spend quality time with me this evening.”

Ellie could smell the thing waving in front of her face, and knew it would taste amazing… but she was full. And a big part of her didn’t want to give David any more satisfaction than she already had. Eating food  _ literally _ from his hands and answering all his dumb questions was more than enough. 

She shook her head. “I don’t need any more food.” 

The man raised an eyebrow. “So you’re saying you don’t  _ want  _ it?” 

“Can’t I just eat it tomorrow or something?” Ellie only grew more suspicious of its contents as he continued to pressure her. 

David kept an even gaze before relenting, tucking the treat back into a small baggie. “I’m very impressed with your ability to resist temptation, Ellie. Myself, I always go after the things I want.” He looked pointedly at the girl. “No matter what.”

Sitting in the presence of a cannibal, completely restrained, David’s words didn’t exactly do much to comfort her. 

“So… is that it? Is that what you wanted to do?” Ellie questioned, her voice reaching a nervous pitch she hadn’t quite anticipated.

Instead of directly responding to her, the man sat down next to her on the sofa. He motioned around to the contents of the room. “You see anything you like in here? Anything that looks like fun?” 

“Um… no. Not really.” Ellie said as her eyes lingered on the bookcase, then again on the dart board that sat tucked into the corner. She felt a pang in her heart, thinking of Henry and Sam...

“Really? I find that hard to believe.” David clucked his tongue, making it clear that he recognized her obvious lie. “Well, in any case, I’m sure you can find more entertainment in here than inside your cell. Wouldn’t you like that? Complete access to this room? To not have these restraints on all the time?” he pulled at the rope binding her forearms tightly together. 

Ellie resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “Obviously.” 

David’s tone was still lighthearted, despite her sarcastic comment. “Well, I’ll have you know you’re on the right track. I think this is a special night for us, sweet girl... you’re really opening up, really making some progress here.” 

She could almost cringe at his words. Special night? And  _ sweet girl  _ \- she couldn’t decide which was worse coming off his lips,  _ that  _ or her actual name. Was it really so impressive to just answer questions? He was basically forcing her to, anyway...

“Can I…” Ellie hesitated, her eyebrows furrowing as she did so. “Can I sleep in here tonight?”

The man looked at her, almost amused as he questioned, “What don’t you like about where you slept last night?” 

_ That’s a stupid question… he’s baiting me for something,  _ Ellie noted internally before replying simply, “It’s… cold.”

“I have somewhere warm you can stay,” David’s voice grew raspier. His hand, which had been resting near her elbow, snaked down a little lower. “I believe I offered it to you the first night you were here?”

The first night Ellie spent at this hellish camp felt like ages ago… but only two days had passed since then. She could still clearly recall what David had asked for: to trade a kiss on the lips for a bed. She declined then, and she would a million times over. That was definitely not something she was  _ ever  _ interested in doing.

“You remember what I asked for in exchange for a big, warm bed?” David pressed his lips to her ear. Ellie cringed, furrowing her neck into her shoulders.

“No, thanks. I’ll take my chances,” she was acutely aware of how loud her voice was. 

His hand began rubbing up and down her thigh. “You don’t want to change your mind?”

Ellie’s face felt like it was boiling. “ _ Stop it. _ ”

David ignored her request. “I apologize, but, uh… I just don’t see the point in you sticking around in that cell any longer. I don’t like the thought of you being cold and uncomfortable all night long.”

“Well,  _ you’re _ the one that put me in there,” she snarled, unable to control her tongue any longer. She didn’t like him touching her like that.

“Now, I know that it’s easy to think that I’m the bad guy,” the man attempted to lecture her. “But you have to understand, Ellie... if I hadn’t put you in that cell, the entire camp would have rioted! It’s hard, keeping them at bay while keeping you protected… but I’ve been doing it, haven’t I?” he snuck his other arm around her waist. “ _ I’m  _ the one that convinced everyone to let you and your friend live.  _ I’m  _ the one that makes sure you’re fed everyday.  _ I’m  _ the only person standing between life and death for the both of you. I’m the only person that cares about you, Ellie.”

“You’re wrong,” she insisted, trying to wriggle out from his grasp to no avail. 

“Your friend is on death’s bed himself.” David said calmly. “He can’t take care of you. Only I can.”

“I take care of myself!” Ellie snapped back. “Now, get your fucking hands off of me and - ‘’ 

She was interrupted by the man’s sudden movement forward, pinning her onto the sofa with one arm while covering her mouth with the other. She shouted expletives into his palm, eyes filled with hatred as she glared at him. 

“You don’t  _ get  _ to tell me what to do,” said David, irritation lacing his words. “This is for you, remember? For your friend. Now  _ behave. _ ”

His palm left her lips, only to be brashly replaced with his own mouth. Ellie’s eyes bulged, moving her head to the side to escape from his assault. She gagged, trying to relieve the disgusting taste of moisture from her lips. 

David harshly grabbed her chin, forcing her into his desired position as he kissed her again. Ellie writhed underneath him, crushed beneath his towering body weight as she struggled. She tried lurching her head forward in a makeshift headbutt, but was unable to move due to his grip on her.

Her own mouth was unresponsive, while David was clearly enjoying himself even without the consent of his victim. She had her lips pressed tightly together as to not allow him any more access than he already had, unable to voice her complaints in anything but a lethal glare with her arms and ankles tied up.

When he pressed his tongue forward to part her mouth open, the girl bit down onto his bottom lip as hard as she could. David immediately jumped backwards, holding a hand over his mouth as he yelped out in pain. Blood dribbled down his chin, staining the gray fabric of his shirt crimson. 

Ellie continually spit from her mouth, trying to rid herself of his vile taste. She warned him, “Don’t  _ ever _ fucking do that again, you fucking - ‘’

He interrupted her before she could speak, issuing a hard smack across her cheek. A metallic tang pooled inside her mouth, one of her teeth swimming around in there somewhere as well. She maneuvered it around with her tongue, pushing it out from between her lips. It landed on the front of her shirt, roots still attached as she stared at it in disbelief. 

_ He just knocked my fucking tooth out.  _

“You left me with no other choice,” David spoke condescendingly, stroking her cheek where a bruise was already forming. 

Ellie narrowed her eyes, ignoring his idiotic comment. “You’re disgusting.”

David smiled. “I’m a _ man _ .” As if that excused his actions.  _ Joel  _ was a man, and he would never do anything like this to her...

“You’re a fucking  _ animal _ ,” she spat, some blood drooling out from between her lips.

He leaned in closer to her, pressing his arm across her chest to hold her still. “You really better watch your words, Ellie.”

“Or what?” she pressed further. 

“Or we’ll cut your friend up into tiny pieces,” David threatened, still looming over here. “And feed him to you.” 

It felt like her entire body paused anytime Joel’s actual well-being was brought into question. She searched through her captor’s eyes, only to be met with a stone-cold glare. No smirk rested upon his lips, no sign that he wouldn’t go through with that menacing promise. 

“Do you believe me?” he asked, raising his forearm up to rest gently against her throat. His grip was a warning, letting her know he could easily tighten it. Ellie gave a small nod in response.

“Use your words,” David instructed her.

She wished she could roll her eyes, but advised herself against it. “ _ Yes _ .” 

“‘Yes, I believe you, David.’  _ Say it _ ,” the man ordered. 

_ What kind of fucking kick does he get out of this?  _ Ellie wondered internally, but obeyed nonetheless. “Yes, I believe you, David,” she repeated, her voice monotonous. 

It seemed David still enjoyed it despite feeding her lines, as immediately afterwards he started kissing her again. He still kept his arm on her throat, using his other hand to gently frame her face. She just lay there limply, not wanting him to hurt her again for fighting back... her face ached from all the assaults she’d endured over the past few days. Her abdomen was swollen in the middle - she was pretty much convinced at this point that David had broken a rib when he kicked her there. 

Ellie _ really _ didn’t want to admit it, but she was… scared of him. Scared of what he  _ would _ do to her, and scared of what he  _ could _ do to Joel…

His hands began moving freely, fairly confident that she wouldn’t try anything for the rest of their encounter. He started gingerly feeling up her chest, emitting a strained squeal from the fourteen-year-old girl. 

“Stop,” Ellie pleaded.  _ No one _ had ever touched her there. “ _ Please. _ ”

He ignored her, slipping his hands beneath her jacket, then dipping down again underneath the fabric of her shirt. His voice was breathless as he spoke, “You’re so perfect.” 

Ellie just couldn’t help it. She was too uncomfortable, too frightened, her body completely frozen up, and she let out a sad, choked sob. Wet tears welled up in the corners of her eyes against her control. 

He moved back up to level with her face, hands still groping her breasts. “Don’t cry. You’re safe here,” he told her softly, leaning in again to claim another kiss. 

_ Safe.  _ Ellie could almost laugh - she had never felt  _ less _ safe in her entire life. 

She trembled underneath David as he continued molesting her, cringing at his heavy breathing and disgusting little noises. Eventually he breathed a sigh into the crook of her neck, disconnecting from her lips for once. He rose up from his straddling position, relieving Ellie from his weight. 

“That’s enough for tonight,” David said, his voice still a bit breathless. “I’ll take you to your bedroom. You’ve earned it.” 

She flinched as he scooped her up from the sofa. Her restraints were absolutely terrible - she couldn’t even walk by herself, let alone try to actually escape from this psycho… and rescue Joel, too? The same thoughts that once lit a fire under her had now doused those flames in water.

Ellie felt her back hit the soft surface of a mattress. She squinted her eyes shut as David proned himself over her, pecking her on the mouth one last time. 

“A deal’s a deal, Ellie,” he smoothed a blanket down over her body. “Our men will leave first thing in the morning.” He paused, like he was waiting for a response.

“Good,” Ellie retorted, only because she didn’t know what else to say. 

David cracked a smile as he neared the doorframe, turning back to take another look at her before exiting. “Goodnight, sweet girl. See you tomorrow.”

Ellie waited until the sound of his footsteps disappeared down the hallway before muttering underneath her breath, “I fucking  _ hope _ not.”


	6. Birdbath

**6: Birdbath**

...

“Get up, kid.” 

Ellie’s eyes shot open, an immediate feeling of terror flooding her senses. She’d experienced a rather restless night after that terrible encounter with David, hardly ever noticing she’d even fallen asleep at all… 

Her head just turned slightly to the left, relief rushing through her system as she realized it was only James. The young man stood leaning up against the doorframe, arms crossed as he glared at her, commanding, “I’m not fucking around. _Seriously_ , get up.”

Ellie may have been frightened by the situation she was in, but her smart mouth was always ten steps ahead. “I’m tied up, _stupid_.”

James’s face contorted with skepticism as he took a meager step forward, peering over at Ellie’s blanket-covered body to test the validity of her claim. It seemed like he was testing to see if she would make a move to attack or not, but in order to do so she would have to be lying in the first place… and unfortunately for Ellie, she wasn’t. 

Wordlessly, James scooped Ellie up and tossed her over his shoulder. She cried out at the forcefulness of his movement, as she was still sore absolutely _everywhere_. Her back hadn’t stopped aching from nearly two days ago, her abdomen was unnaturally puffy and sensitive to touch, and a permanent headache permeated her skull. She was not in good shape.

“Where are you… taking me?” the girl demanded as firmly as she could with painful, shallow breaths regularly interrupting her inquisition. 

“Jesus, you’re fucked up,” said James, apparently taking notice of Ellie’s poor physical state. “David wants to see you, that’s all.” 

Immediately she began thrashing within his grip, causing James to curse and simply tighten his grasp on her, emitting another whimper of pain from between Ellie’s lips. 

_It’s no use,_ she thought to herself miserably, going completely limp once again. _I’m too weak right now… I have to save up my energy if I want to escape._

James was quiet the whole rest of the way. The only sound grazing Ellie’s ears was that of her own wounded gasps. James held her with one arm as he opened a door she had never seen before with the other, walking in to reveal a room housing a relatively clean restroom. She eyed a row of showers all lined up next to each other, separated only by curtains, and a few toilet stalls on the other side. 

“I brought her, David.” James reported, setting Ellie down on the floor. 

“Thank you.” Ellie could certainly hear David, but she refused to look at him while he spoke. “You can go ahead and get on with your other business. Leave her.” 

Ellie listened as the door closed, indicating that James had exited the room. She kept her gaze evenly focused on the tile floor. 

“How are you feeling today?” David asked. 

_Perfect, thanks._ Ellie didn’t want to grace him with a vocal response. _Asshole…_

David clearly took notice of her silence, but it didn’t seem to affect his mood very much. “Our men left on their run today. They should be back by tomorrow morning.” 

Internally, Ellie cheered at the fact that Joel would actually be receiving medication after all she’d done. At least there was a silver lining to her suffering. 

“You should be proud of yourself. You’ve earned it for him,” David spoke softly. Ellie could imagine a stupid smile splitting horizontally across his horrible face. It made her feel better to think about slitting his throat in an identical manner.

“Well, in any case…” the man continued, “I want you to wash up today. We have some showers here with a nice little system hooked up to some hoses. Water’s not too bad, I had one yesterday…”

Ellie felt a hand graze the small of her back. Her muscles froze, and words slipped out, “What are you doing?!”

“You can’t _shower_ with clothes on,” David chided. He pulled at the sleeves of her jacket. 

“I’ll do it myself!” Ellie snarled, closing her eyes tightly. As if that would do anything.

“You _can’t_ do it yourself with those restraints on.” David corrected her, his tone condescending as usual. “Just relax.”

Ellie wanted to fight - she _did,_ but… it wasn’t like she even stood a chance. Not with her battered body, and not with her arms and legs tied. No matter how loudly Ellie’s instincts pleaded for her to thrash around, bite, fight back... she just _didn’t_ want David to hurt her anymore. She was tired of the constant pain. Blood was still oozing from the spot in her mouth that the missing tooth had once filled; that hadn’t even been a day ago.

Ellie was confused to feel something sharp poking at her spine. “What is - ‘’ She heard a long rip, and glanced down to see that the tattered remains of her warm olive-toned jacket lay at the floor. She looked down to her sleeve, only to see David wielding a knife up to her burgundy sweatshirt.

_He’s literally cutting my clothes off,_ the realization struck her. “What - what am I supposed to wear now?” 

“I told you already. Our men are getting new clothes for you on the run,” David said as he made one long gash up the fabric. “Now, hold still.” 

Ellie quite literally didn’t know what to do. _Obviously_ , she didn’t want to lose her warm winter clothes or for David to see her nude, but he was also holding a knife dangerously close to her skin...

Going against every single one of her instincts, Ellie obeyed. She could feel the disapparating weight of the clothes leaving her body with every flick of David’s knife. The room was cold enough to make her teeth chatter, and Ellie suddenly wondered if the storm brewing outside had passed yet. She hadn’t had much time to think about it. 

Once Ellie was finally bare, she avoided looking at her captor’s expression. She didn’t want to see him _leering_ at her... 

David sliced open the rope that bound Ellie arms together, granting her a freedom she hadn’t experienced in days. He pulled the shower curtain over to the side, instructing, “Go on and get in.”

The girl paused. Her eyebrows furrowed as she glanced down at her ankles, still tied together with rope. It would be difficult to balance with her feet positioned like that, and she hadn’t even stood up in a full day… she didn’t know if she was strong enough to... 

“I’m not getting rid of _those_ ,” David gestured towards her restrained ankles. “Want me to carry you?” 

“ _No_!” Ellie refuted his proposal. She focused on supporting herself on her palms, then sliding her feet forward in order to grant herself mobility. Her thighs skidded on the floor a bit, but she paid it no mind, hastily lifting herself over the barrier that separated the actual shower from the tile. 

The man kept the curtain open even as Ellie was settled inside. He said, “It’ll be tough standing up by yourself. You don’t want me to get in there with you?” 

_Fucking pervert,_ Ellie grimaced. “I’ll _sit_.” 

Whatever expression David had upon his stupid face, Ellie didn’t see it. _Finally,_ he allowed the curtain to glide shut, creating a solid fence between them.

Ellie tried to relax as the lukewarm water cascaded over her beaten flesh. A tiny hiss flew from her mouth as both the air and liquid braced the bright-red skin of her arms, chafed and burnt by constant rubbing up against the rope.

There was _at least_ a bar of soap to clean herself with. Ellie actually couldn’t remember the last time she’d washed her hair - supplies like that were pretty hard to come by. Most women just kept it short since it was easier, but Ellie had always appreciated the look of hair that went past her shoulders. She’d appreciated it on other girls, too. 

“Been doing a lot of thinking about last night?” David’s grimy voice interrupted her retrospection. 

Ellie closed her eyes. She tried to imagine he wasn’t there.

“I hope you weren’t too scared,” he continued. “It’s all new to you, isn’t it?” 

“I don’t want to _talk about that_ right now.” Ellie growled, roughly rubbing the soap off her skin. 

“It’s okay to be nervous, but I don’t want you to be _scared_ ,” David went on, never even acknowledging her statement. “This is all perfectly natural, Ellie. What I feel for you is _natural._ ” 

“No, it’s _not_.” the girl tried to speak firmly. “It’s weird.”

The water shut off, and the curtain suddenly opened on Ellie’s perched form. She drew her knees up to her chest in a poor attempt to cover up. 

“Ah, sorry. Can’t have everyone thinking I’m letting you use up all the water,” David apologized halfheartedly. He extended his arm outwards, gripping a beige-colored towel. It looked... relatively clean. “Here.” 

Ellie snatched it from his hands, and briskly wrapped it around herself. She rose to her feet as steadily as she could considering the circumstances, but toppled slightly. David caught her. 

“It’d be easier if you just let me carry you.” his voice was in her ear. 

It reminded her of the previous night. Ellie felt like she might be sick. Her mouth opened, but no words came out. 

Without any vocal protest, David hoisted her up and exited the room.

Ellie let out a grunt at the sudden movement, but begrudgingly allowed it. It’s not like she could even _walk_ by herself, anyway...

She tried focusing on memorizing the layout of whatever building she was in, but it was difficult. From her vantage point she really couldn’t pinpoint any unique markings that would help her remember where things were. All the walls were gray, all the floors were just stained tile. Everything looked exactly the same, no matter how far her eyes wandered. 

Eventually they reached her new room, and David wasted no time in plopping her down onto her bed. 

She glared at him. “Am I supposed to just sit here in a towel?” 

David chuckled. Ellie realized then that she hated the sound.

“You’ll have new clothes tomorrow. For now…” the man quickly turned to grab something off the counter. “Here. Eat up.” He was offering her a tray of food. There were sausages and eggs - _breakfast food,_ Ellie noted. She held her towel up with one hand, and received the tray with the other.

“I’ll see you again later,” David gave an uncharacteristically casual farewell before departing. The doorknob turned and clicked after he left, signifying that he had locked it from the outside. 

Ellie immediately dove into her meal. She wasn’t given any utensils, likely because of their possible use as a weapon. Which she absolutely would have done, so… she just dug in with her hands. 

She had been given more food than usual, which she was happy about. And she had never even been fed breakfast before, it was usually only dinner. _And_ she had been granted a shower… Ellie had more than an inkling that all of this special treatment was some sort of reward for _participating_ , even unwillingly, during the previous night...

A good portion through her meal, Ellie began to feel strange. A warm, fuzzy feeling had begun trailing up from her chest, and now it was affecting her head, too. At first she wondered if it was just from the huge amount of food she was eating after a few days of borderline starvation, but it really wasn’t _insanely_ different from her normal eating routine. 

She wanted to keep indulging in her meal, but now her vision was slipping. A heavy desire to sleep started pulled her eyelids down. She could just barely hear the tray hitting the floor with a _clang_ as her body melted into the mattress.


End file.
